New Jersey state police on Saturday were still investigating the cause of atraffic accident that killed a 16-year veteran of the Delaware State Police.

Master Cpl. Ronald G. Williams Jr., 38, died Friday after the minivan he wasriding in was struck by another car and overturned on the New JerseyTurnpike in Newark.

Williams, a Newark-area resident, had been a trooper since August 1986,including duty as a patrol officer in Troops 6, 7 and 9, and in the specialinvestigations section. In 1999, he moved to the agency’s Bureau of Alcohol,Tobacco and Firearms. When you have those kind of credentials, it’s obvious you are a goodofficer, Delaware State Police spokesman Cpl. Bruce Harris said.

Williams’ investigative skills were so sharp that he was awarded theSuperintendent’s Citation three times. Fellow troopers credited hispersonality and ability to talk easily with others as the primary reasons hewas a successful investigator.

He was a very easy-going person and well-liked, Harris said. When you tryto get information from people and you’re like that, people tend to open upto you.